Seventeenth Birthday
by TakeHeedLove
Summary: What would have happened, had Ron not interrupted Harry and Ginny on his seventeenth birthday? One-shot. H/G


"I couldn't think what to get you."

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"I didn't know what would be useful. Nothing too big, because you wouldn't be able to take it with you."

She took a step closer to him.

"So then I thought, I'd like you to have something to remember me by, you know, if you meet some veela when you're off doing whatever you're doing."

"I think dating opportunities are going to be pretty thin on the ground, to be honest."

"There's the silver lining I've been looking for," she whispered, and then she was kissing him as she had never kissed him before, and Harry was kissing her back, and it was blissful oblivion, better than firewhisky; she was the only real thing in the world, Ginny, the feel of her, one hand at her back and one in her long, sweet-smelling hair -

It was impossible for any other thought to enter into his mind. Ginny's hands at the back of his neck, tousling his hair... she tasted tantalizingly sweet, his own forbidden fruit.

Suddenly, Harry jerked backwards, his hands at the back of his head. Ginny's cheeks went a deep red, and she looked at the floor, rubbing her hand on her forearm nervously.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have, I didn't... I just thought, you, I-"

"No, Ginny, it's all right." He reached out for her hand and sat on the edge of her bed, gently stroking her hair at the side of her face.

"Merlin, Ginny, why do you have to make this so much more difficult?!"

Ginny looked him with defeated eyes. "I can't just stay away from you. You have a much easier time leaving me behind that I do. I can't just let go."

"You think I have an easy time of this? Do you think any part of my life has ever been easy?! It never has. Never." He stood up and began pacing, his hands clenched in his hair and his eyes tightly shut.

"I have had to learn to do what's right and put everyone else before what I want. Now more than ever it hurts to have to make a choice like that. I need you to understand."

He slid against the wall into a sitting position, his forehead against his knees.

"I love you so much that I have to let you go. I could never live with myself knowing that it was my fault that something happened to you," he said quietly, muffled against his legs.

The emotional tensity in his voice hurt even more than what he was saying. He truly, really did love her. Her whole life she thought it impossible. It was half a dream come true, and half a nightmare. She was breaking the boy she loved. She blinked several times, trying to organize a decent sentence in her head.

Slowly, she stood up and walked over to him, still curled up against the wall. She eased onto her knees and sat directly in front of him, folding her arms on top of his knees and resting her head on them.

He looked up at her. His bright green eyes were cloudy, and she could see ghosts of tear tracks, rubbed discreetly away.

"You noble git."

She smiled weakly at him, and the corners of his mouth lifted up momentarily.

"Harry, you have the right to be human. This time, it doesn't have to be black and white. We have today together, and it will be the happy and memorable and right." She reached out her hand and tenderly ran it through his hair. "And after today, we are friends. And I will be here waiting for you after you become a hero and saviour of the whole wizarding world."

"Who said that's what I was after?" Harry said passively.

"Eh, excellent guessing on my part." Ginny grinned at him.

He looked at her with a melancholy look in his eyes. He cocked his head to the side, and looked straight at her for a moment.

"You are... so beautiful, Ginny." he whispered quietly.

"Do you have your glasses on right?" she looked at him beseechingly.

"No... I mean, yes, of course I do! I mean it. I am going to miss you... promise me you won't run off with some barmy, random stranger after I leave."

"How could I?"

"There's my consolation."

He leaned forward and cupped her face softly in his hands, looking into her eyes closely for a moment, and then kissed her softly. It was a tender, delicate expression. He wanted her to know everything he felt about her. It was so reminiscent of his first kiss with her, the way time seemed to stop for a moment, and everyone else was in a world far away from their own. When they broke the kiss, he stayed mere centimeters away from her face, absorbing every detail. Her flowery scent lingered in her aura, and he couldn't breathe in enough of it.

* * *

Hermione leaned over to Ron. They were tying bows around programs for the upcoming wedding, and his were all crooked.

"No no, Ron, you're aren't twisting that left loop correctly! You need to do a more circular wave with your wand, not so harsh."

Ron looked questioningly at Hermione.

"Merlin's pants...still the same girl from first year, I swear."

She punched him in the arm. "Watch it, you haven't forgotten the canaries, have you?"

Ron's chuckling fell immediately silent. "No. Not quite."

Hermione grinned. "That's what I thought."

It was silent between them for a few minutes as they finished a dozen more programs.

"Ron?"

"Yeah?"

"How long has Harry...erm, how long has he been gone?"

Ron looked utterly startled, and cussed loudly.

"Ron!!"

"Hermione, it's been at least forty five minutes!"

His cheeks were the same shade as his hair, and his breathing was hard. She grabbed his arm.

"Calm down. Let them be. You know Harry, they're probably just.."

"Snogging?" finished Ron.

"I was going to say talking, but then again..."

"Agh! Hermione!"

And with that, he ran from the room, with Hermione close behind. As they approached Ginny's room, the door was still closed. He moved to open the door, but Hermione stopped him.

"Listen. They are just talking, git."

Ron paused. He could clearly hear Ginny's soft tones and Harry's low quiet ones, and sighed.

* * *

Harry stood up and held out his hand to Ginny, who took it. It still made his arm tingle, having her hand in his. He lifted her into his arms and spun her around the room, both laughing. The sun was setting, and orange and pink rays filled the small room. He tenderly let her down, and she kissed him one last time.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Giggling, Ginny stepped back from him and held out her hand.

"Goodbye, friend."

Harry took it and smiling, shook it heartily.

"Goodbye."

Ginny walked to the door with a sounding finality, and opened it, looking back at Harry, who had a very confused and astonished look on his face, mouth gaping, gazing out into the hallway.

"Hermione? RON...?!"

* * *

A/N: Whoo. That one was fun!

The first section there (that you hopefully recognized) is from page 116 of Deathly Hallows. Yeah. I didn't write that. (Sigh…)

If you have… eaten today, you are required to review. Ha.


End file.
